Urgent Parenting Concern: Kid's Fingernail Turning White & Falling Off

[milkangel]

i am calling the doc tomarrow but i would like to know now. has any one had a kids fingernail ( just one ) get dirt or something under it and turn white and begin to fall off or seperate? i want to know why becure he has had it since last week and i never thought to much about it untill sat i saw that it was matted and looket white and swollen just the fingernail. so why and has any one had this happen before?

 

[Sheila]

Sounds like a fungus. I googled it & found this: http://www.consumerreports.org/health/conditions-and-treatments/fungal-nail-infection/what-is-it.htm

 

[pampered1224]

milkangel - what did it turn out to be? I hope he did not get a staph or strep infection. Those are horrible to deal with. But that would have turned really red and hurt a lot.

 

[esavvymom]

Both of my boys had something similar happen to their fingers. My husband and I had Strep-throat...but the boys got the same type of virus (strep) in their fingers! I had never heard of this before...but they gave us antibiotics (all according to our own kind/need *LOL*) and it cleared everyone's issues up.But it could also be something got under there and caused a "regular infection". Body is an amazing thing with how it defends itself. But sometimes if things don't look like they are getting better after several days, then yes- seeing a doctor may be in order.Hope it turned out ok.

 

[pampered1224]

bobbi - that is why I asked what I asked! The infections I get in my legs that lay me up for months are usually Strep B infections. They can then, like the one I got in 2005, turned into a combo of staph, strep and MRSA. Almost lost that dang leg!

 

[milkangel]

it was an infection but not sure what it was becuse he woud not let the doc look at it. so he got antibiotics and a cream to put on it. and now the fingernal fell off and feels better and a new one is growing in its place.

 

[pampered1224]

At least you got him in and on something. Did the doctor tell you to keep an eye on it though. Check everyday with your son to see if that the area does not look red, swollen or is hot. All those means the infection is getting worse instead of better. It sounds like the doctor has it under control though and the loss of the finger nail will help the healing. No more undue pressure on the sore. I am glad to hear it did not get worse than it is. Thanks for the update! I had a friend who got a hang nail on his pinky finger. He tore it off. Then noted that it had turned slightly red and hurt a bit. Then his arm hurt about 3 days later and I noticed that there was a red spot on his upper arm. It was hot. I told him to go to the doctors immediately. He put me off saying it was nothing. This was on a Thursday afternoon. On Friday he came to work. The red spot was there and slightly bigger. I again told him to go to the doctors. He bent his arm and said, you know I might. Well, he had no choice by Saturday morning. His whole arm had swollen up and he ended up going to the ER at about 7 a.m. and ended up in the hospital for a week on IV antibiotics. The doctors said he was lucky as the infection had almost reached his heart. That would have not been good at all! So never take chances and I am SO glad you did not!

 

[esavvymom]

That is amazing, John!! It's a miracle kids have survived childhood- with all the hang nails, scratches, chewing of the fingers... and now you'll have me really freaking out when they get sores. I know I would have taken them into the doc LONG before it traveled into the hand...unlike your friend (I know- he's an adult...the toughest kinds of patients!)

 

[pampered1224]

You know when I was 5 I stepped on nail. My doctor gave me a tetanus shot and cleaned it out. That is all. Now with all the antibiotics in our food, and every doctor in the world overdosing everyone these days with powerful antibiotics, we have a creation of "super bugs" that nothing works on any more. That is why the new diligence is needed for even the smallest of sores.